Thursday, 26th August 1915: May Probe Threats Against Officials, The Atlanta Constitution

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Reported That Government Is Now Investigating the Anonymous Letters Sent to Officers in Georgia. Secret Services in the Federal Department of Justice are said to be engaged in running down the Sources of a volume of anonymous missives that have been sent through the Mails to Public Officials since the Leo Frank lynching Tuesday week. A large number of Post-Cards, threatening death to Public Officers some of them having been sent to Ex-Governor John M. Slaton have been sent through the Mails. A good many of these came from outside the State, it is said, to persons in Cobb County.

Assistant Postmaster John C. Staton, acting in the absence of Postmaster Bolling B. Jones, told a Reporter for The Constitution Wednesday afternoon that a Ruling had been received from the Solicitor of the Postal Department in Washington barring all Pictures of the Frank hanging from the Mail. A number of threats have been received in anonymous letters by Marietta persons, principally Josiah Carter, Editor of The Marietta Journal, whose Editorial on the Frank lynching was Published Broadcast. Carter has taken extra precautions to guard his home, as it was even threatened that he would be burned out.

PAGE 1, COLUMN 3 WOODWARD TELLS OF TRIP TO WEST Mayor Is Not Taking Seriously Many Threatening Letters Received Since Making Frank Case Address. Mayor James G. Woodward returned to Atlanta Wednesday at noon, after a three weeks tour of the West and Canada and his First Act was to dodge several Newspaper Reporters since he said he had already been in the Papers enough as a result of his comments on the Frank Case.

"I'm glad to be home again and am going to plunge into my work and catch up as soon as I can," said the Mayor late in the afternoon. "I had a most delightful trip from start to finish. As to the fair well, it is great, but not so extensive as the St. Louis fair of 1903. The Grounds and Buildings of the San Francisco Exposition are more attractive." The Mayor was in his Office shaving when seen by a Constitution Reporter.

No Crematory for Him. "It's all a mistake about my going to Frisco to see the Crematory," said the Mayor and he sighed as he continued. "I got enough of that Subject at home. Further, we have all the Facts and information we need about the Western Plant, because it was sent here by the Engineer in charge." Told that the Atlanta Crematory had been giving forth "noxious Odors again" the Mayor remarked that it was surprising that so many people were constructed in a manner that made it possible for them to put up with such a condition.

"Did you see many Mayors while on your trip?" was asked. "I saw only one, the Mayor of Los Angeles," he replied. "I, for one, don't make it my Business to mix in the Municipal Affairs of other Cities. I have my own troubles and so have they. In San Francisco, where a portion of the trolley line is owned by the City, I saw in the Papers that the Mayor and Council had been directed through injunction Proceedings to appear last Monday to answer why the City should be given the preference on certain Streets against the City lines which also sought to operate on those same Streets. Of course, I did not trouble the Mayor at that time, for he had a mighty big Proposition to handle without outsiders interfering."

Nothing to Retract. The Mayor stated that he had in no way retracted from his original Declarations in an address on the Frank Case at Frisco, and which have brought him many Caustic and insulting letters to his Atlanta Offices. "In every City, where they learned I was from Atlanta there were all sorts of questions fired at me, and I had seen and heard Atlanta and Georgia maligned to such a degree that I was always ready to defend our good name."

"When I explained the course of the Case in the Courts and its final Disposition, it was remarkable to see how quick many of my Hearers were to change their views. The Case had been misrepresented in such a manner that the people were astounded at the real Facts in the Case." "Not only the Gentiles, but many Jews whom I met agreed with me on the Frank Case, as soon as they had learned the true Facts."

The Mayor is not taking seriously the threatening letters that have come to his desk since he discussed the Frank Case. Many of these are being destroyed, while others he is saving for future Reference.

Not Worried About Recall. "I have not yet had time to look into the matter," said the Mayor. "However, I don't think that anything will come of the campaign. Personally, I am not really a member of the Police Board. I am only an Ex-Officio member, by virtue of my Office as Mayor, and it is mandatory on me under the law to serve in the deliberations of that body." In every City the Mayor says he defended the good name of Atlanta and he also mentioned that no City in America had gotten so much advertising, good and bad, as this City.

The Mayor indicated that he would not continue the Saturday Conferences of Department Heads which have been held for the past two weeks by Mayor Pro Tem. L.N. Ragsdale, who has been serving in his stead during his absence, but commended Mayor Ragsdale for his good work of the past few weeks. "I have always made it a practice, that when a question arose in a Department, to call in the Department Head at once, and take the matter up with him. I never delayed it until Saturday, when all the Superintendents were called into a Conference. The practice of taking matters up personally with the Head of the Department is, I believe, better than attempting to lay it before all of them at the same time."

Many Call on Mayor. It had been planned by the Mayor and some of his friends that he should return to the City quietly and without the knowledge of the public, that he might be given time to catch up with his work, but following the story in The Constitution Wednesday to the effect that he would return on that day practically every Department Head in the City Government called at his Office and held Conferences with him during the day. Newspaper Men and Councilmen were at both Railroad Depots at noon, but he arrived just ten minutes before the arrival of one Party. He went to his Office in the Empire Building after lunch with his family.

Among his visitors during the afternoon was Fire Chief Tom Haney, of Jacksonville, Fla., for many years a member of the Atlanta Department. Haney was Assistant Chief here when recommended by former Chief W. R. Joyner to take charge of the Jacksonville Department. With Chief Bill Cody and Councilman J.N. Renfroe, he discussed Politics and old times with the Mayor.

PAGE 7, COLUMN 2 CONSTRUCTIVE EVENTS OF WEEK IN GEORGIA Four Cities Vote Improvement Bonds and Many New Buildings Are Planned. Columbus, Ga., August 25. (Special.) The Industrial Index, in its weekly summary of Industrial and Construction Developments of the past week in the Southeastern States, has the following pointed Reference to the Fact that the lynching of Leo M. Frank was only one of the Occurrences of the week in Georgia:

"Many other things about Georgia besides the News of the lynching of one of its convicts might be published. For instance, the same week that the lynching occurred, four Georgia Cities voted bonds for public improvements. Announcements were made of plans for the establishment of new Manufacturing Plants and the erection of Buildings. Contracts were awarded for the Construction of Church Buildings, School Buildings, Business Buildings, Residences and other Buildings, and for the paving of Streets and building of Highways. In the same week, the clearings of the Banks of Georgia's capital increased 11 per cent."

"No mention was made of the Fact that Georgia has just marketed a $2,000,000 Peach Crop and sold its Watermelon Crop for hundreds of thousands of Dollars. More Flour and Grist Mills have been built in Georgia in the past six months, and more wheat grown in Georgia is being ground into flour than in forty years before."No mention was made of the fact that the value of farm property in Georgia has been increasing at the rate of 154 per cent in ten years; the value of farms 96.4 per cent, the value of land per acre 161 per cent, the value of farm buildings 142 per cent, and of livestock 128 per cent.

Nothing was said of the fact that the value of manufactured products in Georgia has increased at the rate of more than 24 per cent in ten years, a year's total being $203,000,000.